Welcome to Sunday Art Brunch, a weekly roundup of all things art-related. From the news of the art market to the latest exhibitions and emerging artists, this column is your go-to source for all things art. We bring you a collection of news, updates and insights from the art world to keep you informed and up-to-date. So grab a cup of coffee and join us for a leisurely Sunday Art Brunch filled with everything you need to know about the dynamic and ever-evolving world of art.
Discovering the best of TEFAF New York next week
TEFAF New York, the prestigious art fair showcasing museum-quality art and objects ranging from fine art to antiques, design, and jewelry, will return to the Park Avenue Armory from May 12 to 16, 2023. The fair will host a roster of 91 galleries and dealers, including 13 new exhibitors, and will run simultaneously with a new edition of TEFAF Online. Artnet reports that the fair has a sharp focus on modern and contemporary art, punctuated by a variety of other categories, and provides an opportunity for anyone to explore, discover, and learn about a wide range of works across mediums and time periods. Highlight works at the upcoming event include an embroidery work by Italian artist Alghiero Boetti, a Bruce Nauman sculpture, and an Egon Schiele drawing.
Announced the winner of the 5th VH AWARD Grand Prix: Subash Thebe Limbu
Hyundai Motor Group has announced Subash Thebe Limbu as the Grand Prix recipient of the 5th VH AWARD for new media artists in Asia. Limbu's winning work, Ladhamba Tayem; Future Continuous, examines the actions and existence of Indigenous people in futuristic settings where they traverse the space-time continuum. As Hyperallergic tells, the VH AWARD supports emerging media artists by sharing their work across global platforms and each artist receives $25,000 to create a screen-based audio-visual project. The artworks of the finalists and Grand Prix recipient are being screened at HMG (South Korea) and Elektra Virtual Museum (Canada), and will be presented at various art institutions and platforms globally.
Lawsuits launched by artists against AI companies could set new legal precedents for artistic creations
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) image generators, which use billions of images scraped from the internet, is threatening the careers of digital artists. These generators have led to lost jobs and stolen labour as images are uploaded without consent. A class action lawsuit was filed last year, targeting companies such as Stability AI and Midjourney, for their violations of intellectual property rights under current copyright laws which do not currently extend to AI. The artists are seeking the protection of copyright over style which has never previously been legally protected. Matthew Butterick leads the lawsuit, arguing that the AI process constitutes an unlicensed use of protected works. The litigation illustrates the legal grey area around AI use, as well as the low pay offered to some digital artists and the stagnation of illustration rates since the 1980s. Enjoy more on ARTnews.
Maike Cruse named fair director for Art Basel
Maike Cruse, the current director of Gallery Weekend Berlin, will take on the role of director of Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, starting in July. Cruse, who previously worked for Art Basel as communications manager from 2008 to 2011, will report to Vincenzo de Bellis, Art Basel’s director of fairs and exhibition platforms, and work alongside Andreas Bicker, the head of business and management Europe. The Art Newspaper reports that Cruse declined to comment on her specific plans for the role, but cited the importance of supporting younger and mid-sized galleries, a group likely to face difficulties as the art market is increasingly dominated by larger galleries.
A new period of benefit auctions has arrived
Benefit auctions have evolved in response to the pandemic and the reckoning with existing discrepancies and misalignments in the art market, according to a report in Artsy. The report suggests a new social impact auction model has emerged, offering a welcome new approach, designed to address structural inefficiencies and sociocultural realities. The report also acknowledges traditional auctions have become less appealing, as they do little to serve the better interests of the artists or community and business models fail to adapt to a changing market, "championing norms from a bygone era" instead. The social impact auction model provides a fresh, innovative, and dynamic approach, emphasising inclusion and much-needed social and economic change. Enjoy more on artsy.
